Shipping container for heavy spools



sept.. 2o, 1955 1'. R. POLGLASE v SHIPPING CONTAINER FOR -IEAV'Y SPOOLS 'Filed oct. 11, 1952 INVENTOR Timm As R. PoLeLAE EY 620W' l ML, (SM2/Trb ATTORNEYS SHEPPING CONTAINER FR HEAVY SPOOLS Thomas R. Polglase, Spring Lake, Mich., assigner to Anaconda Wire and Cable Company, a corporation of Delaware Application October 11, 1952, Serial No. 314,241

2 Claims. (Cl. 206-65) This invention relates to shipping containers. More particularly, it relates to a reinforced shipping container for heavy spools formed of two substantially identical container parts adapted to receive a plurality of the axially aligned spools therein.

The shipping of heavy spools, for example, spools of copper magnet wire, has caused many troublesome problems which are attributable to the relatively heavy weight to size ratio of the spools, their awkward shape so far as packaging is concerned, and the susceptibility of the contents of the spools to damage if two spools come into violent contact with one another during transit. In my copending patent application Serial No. 266,189, filed January 12, 1952, l have described a shipping container designed explicitly for use in the shipment of such spools. My shipping container comprises two substantially identical container parts each forming one half of the complete container and is provided with two substantially cylindrical spool-receiving compartments each preformed to accommodate a row of axially aligned spools. An inner liner advantageously is provided to protect the spools from impact damage. This shipping container is strong, dur- States Patent O able and light in weight and has been found to afford adev quate protection to the contents thereof under normal service conditions.

l have found, however, that although the shipping container described in my copending application is satisfactory for normal service, there are times when extreme conditions of service are encountered that the spools shipped therein become damaged as a consequence of the breaking down and buckling of the container structure and misalignrnent of the matching container parts at the ends thereof. The failure of this shipping container to protect the spools shipped therein under all conditions of service is an important limitation on its usefulness. The precise cause of this failure was difficult to determine. However, after an extensive investigation which included comparative tests of a number of forms of shipping containers, I discovered that there was an excessive concentration of stresses at the corners and edges at the ends of the container parts. These excessive stresses, which cause the fianges of the endmost spools to bend and occasionally break with consequent damage to the magnet wire carried on the spool, were found to be due to two principal factors.

The container parts of my shipping container are integrally molded in one piece from fibrous materials. The substantially flat end walls are disposed generally perpendicular to the bottom wall to which they are joined. Of necessity, however, the end walls diverge from one another at a slight angle from true perpendicular in order to facilitate removal of the container part from the mold in which it is formed. Furthermore, in order to avoid creating a potential line of weakness at the ends of the container part where the bottom and side walls join the end walls, the end edges thereof are formed with an inside fillet having a small radius of curvature.

These two factors, the slight outward divergence of the end walls and the small inside fillet at the end edges 2,718,303 Patented Sept. 20, 1955 of the container parts, coact to cause a concentration of stresses at the end edges. No matter how carefully the shipping container is assembled, the main longitudinal thrust of the endmost spools, which occurs when the heavily loaded container is handled carelessly, is against the inside fillet at the end edges. Furthermore, because of the slight outward divergence of the end walls, none of this thrust is received on the large flat surfaces thereof. This uneven distribution of the end stresses causes the aforementioned distortion of the container parts and damage to the anges of the heavy spools.

I have devised an improvement in shipping containers of the character described wherein the shipping container is reinforced to withstand abnormal abuse by the provision of an internal stress distribution member adjacent the ends thereof. The reinforced shipping container of my invention comprises two substantially identical reinforced container parts each of which forms one half of the complete shipping container and stress distribution members within the container parts adjacent each end thereof. Each reinforced container part has a five-sided open box-like structure and comprises an outer shell integrally formed of plastic impregnated fibrous material and an inner liner of fibrous pulp material adapted to fit within and to line completely the outer shell. The outer shell and the inner liner both have a substantially flat bottom wall, two substantially flat end walls, two curved side walls extending between the end walls outwardly from the bottom wall, and at least one interior wall struck up from the bottom wall and extending between the end walls intermediate the side walls. The side walls and interior walls are curved to conform to the cylindrical shape of the axially aligned spools to be received in the shipping container. Each stress distribution member is shaped to conform substantially to the interior contours of the adjacent bottom walls, end walls, side walls and interior Walls of the container parts and to have substantially flat inner surfaces. The stress distribution members butt firmly and evenly against said adjacent walls thereby to strengthen and stiffen the container parts at the end thereof. The reinforced container parts, when assembled face to face with their respective side Walls and end walls in alignment, form a shipping container having at least two spool-receiving compartments lined with the fibrous pulp and provided at each end thereof with internal stress distribution members, each of said compartments being adapted to receive a row of axially aligned heavy spools therein.

A reinforced shipping package for heavy spools, assembled according to my invention, comprises a reinforced shipping container of the character described, stress distribution members also of the character described, spools, and container fastenings. One of the reinforced container parts forms the bottom half of the shipping container and the lower halves of rows of axially aligned heavy spools are received therein, and the second of the reinforced container parts forms the top half of the shipping container and the upper halves of the rows of spools are received therein. The spool-receiving compartments maintain the spools in axial alignment and the spools maintain the two container parts in vertical alignment. The stress distribution members butt firmly and evenly against the end walls of the container parts thereby to strengthen and stiften the ends thereof and protect the spools disposed adjacent thereto. The reinforced container parts are securely fastened about the axially aligned heavy spools bycontainer fastenings to form a shipping package having a liner of fibrous pulp material and internal stress distribution members cushioning and protecting the spools.

For a more detailed description of my invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of a reinforced container part which forms one half of a reinforced shipping container and showing a row of axially aligned heavy spools disposed in one of the spool-receiving compartments thereof;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of two of the container parts shown in Fig. l, taken along line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a corner detail of my shipping container taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 2 to .show the relationship of the stress distribution member, the container part, and the endmost heavy spool; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a reinforced shipping package for heavy spools partially broken away to show the reinforced end structure of the package.

My reinforced lshipping container may accommodate one or more rows of axially aligned heavy spools. The container protects the spools by encasing them in a sturdy, internally cushioned case which maintains the spools in each row in axial alignment with the circular fianges of adjacent spools firmly butted together to prevent overriding thereof and consequent damage to the contents of the spools. The drawings illustrate the preferred ernbodiment of my container which is designed to receive two such rows of spools.

The reinforced shipping container is formed of two substantially identical container parts 11i and internal stress distribution members 11. Each container part comprises an outer shell 12 and an inner linerA 13. rihe outer shell 12 is integrally formed of plastic impregnated fibrous material such as glass or textile fibers impregnated with a polyester plastic. The inner liner 13 is advantageously integrally formed of a fibrous pulp material such as papier mache. Both the outer shell 12 and the inner liner 13 have a five-sided open box-like structure, the inner liner 13 being adapted to fit snugly within and to line completely the outer shell 12.

The box-like structure of the shell 12 and its liner 13 is formed by a substantially fiat bottom wall 15, two substantially at end walls 16, two curved side walls 17, and a curved interior wall 1S. The end walls 16 are generally parallel to each other and are disposed at opposite ends of the bottom wall 15 substantially perpendicular thereto. The side walls 17 curve outwardly from opposite edges of the bottom wall 15 and extend parallel to one another from one end wall to the other. The interior wall 18 is struck up from the bottom wall 15 and extends between the end walls 16 intermediate the side walls 17. Each side wall 17 and the opposing surface of the interior wall 18 are curved to conform to the cylindrical contour of a row of heavy spools, these curved walls having an inside radius of curvature substantially equal to but no smaller than the outer radius of the spools the container is designed to accommodate. The bottom, end, side and interior walls together define two longitudinal spool-receiving compartments 19 each preformed to accommodate a semi-cylindrical half portion of a row of axially aligned spools. A row of such axially aligned spools 24 is shown disposed in one of the spool-receiving compartments 19 of the container part shown in Fig. l.

Reinforcing stress distribution members 11 are disposed inside the container parts 10 adjacent the end walls 16 at each end of the longitudinal compartments 19. The stress distribution members 11 are made of a relatively stiff and strong material such as wood, reinforced plastic, or the like, and are caused to butt firmly against the ends of the inner liner inside the container parts. In order for these members 11 to distribute the longitudinal stresses evenly over the entire end wall of the container part, their shape should conform closely to the contours of the end walls and the adjacent bottom, side and interior walls, and the inner surfaces 20 of the stress distribution members- 11, against which the spool flanges 21 bear, should be substantially fiat. Each stress distribution member 11 may advantageously be formed in one piece, roughly circular in appearance, adapted to fit inside the ends of two of the container parts 1t) which, when placed together face. to face, form a complete shipping container. Forming-the'members 1'1 in one piece tends to add rigidity to the assembled shipping container. The stress distribution members 11 may also be formed in two pieces, each roughly semi-circular in appearance, each piece being adapted to t inside at the end of a single container part 19. in the latter case, when two container parts 10 are fitted together, open top to open top with their matching side and end walls in substantial alignment, the facing edges of the matching stress distribution members 11 butt against each other and the inside surfaces 20 of these members are continuous and substantially fiat.

The longitudinal dimensions of the container parts 10 should be such that each longitudinal compartment 19 will accommodate a predetermined number of axially aligned spools with each spool butting firmly against the adjoining spools and the anges 21 of the endmost spools butting firmly against the fiat inner surfaces 2t) of the stress distribution members 11. Conversely, the stress distribution members 11 should just fill the space between the inner surfaces of the end wall 16 and the endmost flanges of the row of axially aligned heavy spools.

The reinforcing members 11 may therefore have the incidental useful purpose of adapting a single container part 10 to accommodate a variety of sizes of spools. Thus, by selecting a member 11 of appropriate thickness, a container part designed to accommodate a row of, say, five spools, each five inches in width, can readily be adapted to receive a row of, say, four spools, each six inches in width. This feature of my invention will alone result in important economies, due to the reduction in the investment in dies necessary for the production of a variety of sizes of shipping containers.

The complete shipping package for heavy spools assembled in accordance with my invention is shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. The shipping package comprises two substantially identical reinforced container parts 10, stress distribution members 11 disposed inside the container parts adjacent the ends thereof, two rows of a plurality of axially aligned heavy spools 24, and container fastenings 25. The reinforced container parts each comprise an outer shell 12 integrally formed of plastic impregnated fibrous material and an inner liner 13 integrally formed of fibrous pulp material adapted to fit within and to line completely the outer shell 12.

The outer shell 12 and inner liner 13 have a five-sided open box-like structure of the character described hereinabove. The fiat bottom walls 15 and end Walls 16, and the curved side walls 17 and interior walls 18 form two parallel spool-receiving compartments 19 each preformed to receive a row of axially aligned heavy spools. ri`he spools 24 in each roW butt firmly against one another, tiange to flange, and the flanges 21 of the endmost spools butt firmly against the fiat inner surfaces 20 of the stress distribution members 11.

The stress distribution members 11 are shaped to con-v forml to the contours of the end wall and the immediately adjacent bottom Wall, side walls and interior walls. These members 11., held by the adjacent spools 24 firmly against the end walls 16, distribute evenly across these end walls any longitudinal stress applied against the at inner surfaces 2t). Thus the extreme longitudinal forces developed by the heavy spools inside the shipping package when the package is dropped or otherwise carelessly handled are distributed evenly over the end walls and do not concentrate at the edges thereof with consequent danger of failure of the shipping package or damage to the heavy spools therein.

One of the two container parts 10 of the shipping package 23 forms the bottom half of a complete shipping container in which the semi-cylindrical lower half portion ofthe rows of heavy spools are received and the other of the container parts 10Y forms the top half of the shipping container in which the upper half portion of theV rows of spools are received. The spool-receiving compartments 19 maintain each row of spools in axial alignment so that the spools therein are unable to override one another and thus damage the contents on the spools. Conversely, the two rows of spools maintain the opposing side and end walls of the two container parts in substantial alignment.

The two container parts 10 are fastened about the rows of spools by means of container fastenings 25. The container fastening 25 is advantageously a metal band passed longitudinally around each row of heavy spools along the bottom wall and end walls of the container parts. It is undesirable to fasten the container parts together by means of a strap passed transversely thereabout, because of the danger that freight handlers will use the strap as a handle where it bridges across the longitudinal depression formed by the interior wall.

I claim:

1. A reinforced shipping container for at least two rows of axially aligned heavy spools comprising two substantially identical interchangeable reinforced container parts each of which forms one half of the complete shipping container and stress distribution members within the container parts adjacent each end thereof, each reinforced container part having a five-sided open box-like structure and comprising an outer shell integrally formed of plastic impregnated librous material and an inner liner of fibrous pulp material completely lining the outer shell, said outer shell and inner liner both having a substantially at bottom wall including at least two fiat portions, two substantially at end walls, two curved side walls extending between the end walls outwardly from the bottom wall, and at least one interior wall struck up from the bottom wall intermediate at portions thereof and extending between the end walls intermediate the side walls, said side walls and interior walls being curved to conform to the cylindrical shape of the axially aligned spools to be shipped in the shipping container and terminating proximate the flat portions of the bottom wall, and each of the stress distribution members being shaped to conform substantially to the interior contours of the adjacent walls of the container parts and to have substantially ilat inner surfaces, said stress distribution members butting firmly and evenly against said adjacent walls thereby to stilen and strengthen the ends of said container parts, said reinforced container parts when assembled with their respective side walls and end walls in substantial alignment forming a shipping container lined with fibrous pulp, reinforced at each end thereof with stress distribution members and adapted to receive a plurality of heavy spools therein.

2. A shipping package for heavy spools having at least two parallel substantially cylindrical spool-receiving compartments comprising a reinforced shipping container formed of two substantially identical interchangeable reinforced container parts, stress distribution members within the container parts adjacent each of the ends thereof, a row of axially aligned spools received in each of said spool-receiving compartments, and container fastenings, each reinforced container part having a fivesided open box-like structure and comprising an outer shell integrally formed of plastic impregnated fibrous material and an inner liner integrally formed of fibrous pulp material completely lining the outer shell, Said outer shell and inner liner both having a substantially at bottom wall including at least two flat portions, two substantially flat end walls diverging from one another at a slight angle from true perpendicular relative to the bottom wall, two curved side walls extending between the end walls outwardly from the bottom wall, and at least one interior wall struck up from the bottom wall and extending between the end walls intermediate the side walls and between flat portions of the bottom wall, said side walls and interior wall being curved to conform to the cylindrical shape of the axially aligned spools received in the spool-receiving compartments and terminating proximate the flat portions of the bottom wall, each of said stress distribution members being shaped to conform substantially to the interior contours of the adjacent walls of the container parts and to have substantially at inner surfaces normal to the bottom wall for even engagement with ends of the cylindrical spools,

said stress distribution members butting firmly andevenly against said adjacent walls thereby to strengthen and stiften the ends of said container parts and to protect spools disposed adjacent thereto, one of said reinforced container parts forming the bottom half of the shipping container in which the lower halves of the rows of axially aligned heavy spools are received and the second of said reinforced container parts forming the top half of said shipping container in which the upper halves of said rows of spools are received, said spool-receiving compartments maintaining the spools in axial alignment and said spools maintaining the two container parts in vertical alignment, said reinforced container parts being securely fastened about said rows of heavy spools by said container fastenings thereby to form a shipping package having a liner of fibrous pulp material and reinforcing stress distribution members cushioning and protecting said spools.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 45,607 Howard Dec. 27, 1864 581,232 Hollandt Apr. 20, 1897 1,992,950 Horner et al. Mar. 5, 1935 2,042,070 McCaskell May 26, 1936 2,274,095 Sawyer Feb. 24, 1942 2,424,553 Conti July 29, 1947 2,482,869 Polglase Sept. 27, 1949 2,569,681 Lennon Oct. 2, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 729,649 Germany Dec. 19, 1942 

